


Tales of Monster Hunters

by SkyWrites



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games), Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Adventure, Coral Highlands (Monster Hunter), Established Relationship, Gen, Humor, Monster Hunter X | Monster Hunter Generations, Monster Hunter: World, Monsters, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24135568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyWrites/pseuds/SkyWrites
Summary: Something's been causing a disruption in the Coral Highlands' ecosystem! I'm getting reports of multiple Zinogres and all sorts of agitated monsters! I want you two hunters to deal with it! Investigate the cause, and STOP whatever is giving me a headache!-Genis, Guild Guy
Relationships: Colette Brunel/Lloyd Irving
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Tales of Monster Hunters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darkhymns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/gifts).



> A birthday present to my wonderful girlfriend and the love of my life! Happy birthday! I love you more than a Savage Deviljho loves to eat its own tail.

“So, are you guys gonna deal with this or what?” 

Colette chomped into her enormous ice cream sundae, stacked with massive strawberries and other colorful fruit. “Mmph?” 

Genis sighed. He held out the quest papers to Lloyd instead. 

Lloyd picked out an enormous red tomato slice from his giant sandwich. Only because of this was he able to speak in time. “Er… what’s the problem again?” 

“Ugh!” Genis stomped his foot into the ground, the loose wooden planks jiggling dangerously over the open cliffside. Astera was a sturdy-ish town, but an old ship that crashed into a cliff did not make the safest diner. “You two are the worst hunters! The quests I’m offering, other hunters would DREAM to get their hands on first!” 

Lloyd grinned mischievously, swallowing a hunk of dripping meat. “But we’re your best friends so you always offer us the good stuff, huh, Genis?” Steam from his hot meal blew out of his mouth. 

“Shut up!” Genis shouted, his face only barely less red than Lloyd’s discarded tomato. “You guys have done a lot for me and my sister, but I also want to impress the Guild! You know how many Guild Guys there are Lloyd?” 

“Uhh….” Lloyd looked at his fingers, ready to begin counting. 

“Not many!” Genis interrupted, slapping Lloyd’s hand down. “And even less at my age! They don’t trust me!” 

“Why’s that my problem?” Lloyd said, mouth full. 

“Because I keep trying to help you!” Genis nearly tossed his Guild hat straight into Lloyd’s face, but must have thought, _‘No. Too valuable. Not worth it.’_ “You two stall too much! You refuse to hunt the monsters that need hunting!” 

Colette quickly finished her spoonful of sweets before butting in. “But they’re all so cute!” 

Genis stared wide-eyed at Colette. “Monsters get chosen to be hunted because they present danger to the ecosystem and us! Not because we like it.”

Lloyd grunted. “Not quite sure I believe that.” He jutted a thumb to the table behind him at the famous Rank 3 Hunter: Zelos. He was decked out head to toe in Jaggi paraphernalia. He slurped his soup with his Great Jaggi spoon right out of his Great Jaggi bowl. He signed autographs with his Great Jaggi pen, on paper made of Great Jaggi skin. That couldn’t have been efficient.

“What’s that, honey? You’re having trouble with a Great Jaggi again? Heh heh…”

Genis narrowed his eyes at the idiot. “Okay, a lot of hunters do it just because they like it, I admit that. But that’s even more reason I want you two doing more quests. I can trust the both of you to get the job done, to make sure it's done right. You’re not just doing it for the Zenny or for the thrill.” 

“Zenny would be nice, though…” Lloyd sighed, eyeing the steep bill at the table. Almost as steep as the cliff they were on!

“We could always do another egg delivery quest, Lloyd!” Colette cheered. She offered a bit of her sundae to the butterfly Kinsect at her shoulder. Its rainbow wings glimmered like diamonds under the sunlight. It was still a gross thing to do though. Don’t feed bugs at the table, c’mon.

“Please, no more egg deliveries…” Lloyd whined, laying on the wooden table with a flop.

“Then take my quest, you idiots!” Genis screamed, slamming it over the bill. The entire kitchen rattled again. The rest of the diner’s patrons looked on with pleading eyes, begging Lloyd and Colette to appease the little half-Wyverian Guild Guy.

“Fine!” Lloyd shouted back, angry, confused, and just sort of copying his friend’s mood for some reason. “What is it again?!”

“Something’s been messing with the Coral Highlands’ ecosystem! The monsters are all out of whack! I’ve been getting reports of _multiple_ Zinogres down there causing trouble! I need you to deal with it!”

Colette frowned. “I don’t want to hunt any cute doggies…” 

Genis gawked at her. “They’re not dogs, Colette…” 

Lloyd grinned, pointing his finger guns to the sunny skies above. “They’re dogs.” Before Genis could scream how wrong that was, Lloyd went on, “But we can just capture them anyway, Colette!”

Colette’s eyes shone brighter than an Astalos’ wings. “Oh! That’s right! We’re really good at capturing monsters!” 

“How do you even forget something like that…?” Genis shrugged. “The Guild, and Raine especially, really likes monsters to be captured for study anyways.” 

“We’ll do it! For the doggies!” Colette cheered, slamming her fist on the table and accidently hitting her spoon instead. It flew off the cliffside, twirling beautifully under the sun’s rays, splattering ice cream all over a certain Great Jaggi clad hunter at the bottom who hollered and cried about his hair. “Oops…”

“I’ll sort that out if you guys just sort this out…” Genis sighed.

Lloyd nodded. “If Colette wants to do it, then I want to do it! Let’s go!”

* * *

The Coral Highlands was always an interesting area to visit. Neither Lloyd or Colette really understood how any of it made sense, and when Genis tried to explain, Lloyd would just sort of tune out. And because Lloyd would tune out, Colette would have trouble paying attention as well. The details… they weren’t that important to Hunters anyway. As long as you got the quest done, the rest of that other stuff was up to the Researchers and the Guild.

So, when they landed in this strange ocean-like cliffside with everything you’d expect from the ocean _but_ the water, the two simply shrugged it off and began their quest.

A cool ocean breeze blew against their cheeks. The blue and pink coral branches glowed with life under the sun’s watchful rays with Coralbirds humming through wet air and Moonslugs lazily floating through the salty winds. Lloyd caught a few Moonslugs with his hands, showing them off to Colette with a giggle. They poked its jellyfish-like body, watching as it rippled and jiggled. They set them free soon after, the dopey creatures none-the-wiser that anything had even happened. 

“Look, Lloyd!” Colette whispered, diving into a purple coral bush. The Lagombi bunny ears of her hood laid flat at her back as she watched her target. 

“Huh? What is it?” Lloyd followed her down into the bush, pressing himself against the soft fur of her armor. It was better than that tough coral! The Anjanath armor his dad had crafted suited Lloyd well, especially the red, but the beta version didn’t quite cover his skin as much as he liked. His mom’s decoration, a blue gem, gleamed brightly in his gauntlet. 

“It’s them…” Colette murmured, eyes as sharp as a Glavenus tail.

Lloyd peaked out of the coral brush, but only heard the soothing ocean wind gently crashing against the cliffside. She always did have better eyes for this stuff. “Where?”

She shushed him and quietly crawled out of the coral. With a great big smile, she laid on the sandy dirt under several little eel-like creatures popping their head out of the ground, watching her curiously, yet cautiously. 

“Wigglers!” she said, but not so loud as to startle them. “Make sure you stay low to the ground, Lloyd. If you stand up and tower over them, they hide!” 

Lloyd let out a sigh of relief, laughing quietly as he crawled to her side. The two hunters looked up at the Wiggler’s confused little faces, their bodies dancing in the wind. One decided to take the plunge, its snout investigating Colette’s face. She reached out so slowly, so gently, to pet it behind its strange wormy ears. 

It blinked, nearly panicked. It had probably never been petted by anything in its whole life. What was this feeling? What did it mean!? The touch was soothing, but also _danger!?_ The other Wigglers looked on in awe, ready to retreat to their holes the moment this ‘Colette’ creature decided to try to chomp on them like grass.

But she never did. 

“They’re so cuuute!” Colette cooed. “Can we keep them?” 

Lloyd smiled, trying to reach out to a Wiggler of his own. It retreated into its hole almost instantly. “We have Wigglers at home!” 

“They probably want more friends…”

The Wigglers’ ‘ears’ perked up. They looked to the sky, looked behind. Little tongues flicked at the air, one hitting Colette without any concern. A sudden gust in the breeze, a strong electric current in the windy waves, and they hid themselves away in the blink of an eye. 

“Colette…” Lloyd said cautiously, the ocean air boiling with something hot, something dangerous.

“I know.” She quickly scrambled up to her feet along with Lloyd, hopping up a sandy hill for a better view. The Coralbirds stopped humming, and the air went still as if holding in a sigh. 

And then it exploded like a torrent through the Coral Highlands, an electric riff against the peaceful waves. The howl was as recognizable as it was fearsome. Suddenly a bug zipped through the air, singeing the hair on Lloyd’s arm, a light zap shocking his fingers. Fulgurbugs… 

Lloyd and Colette’s eyes were fixated on the distance, scanning for any sign of the monster. They didn’t expect the green blur to dash right by their sides.

“What was that?!” Lloyd asked, hands at his blades. 

Colette’s Kinsect floated at her back, her glaive ready. “I don’t know. I think it went in that bush?”

Before they could figure out anything else, it was upon them. If the thing before was a green blur, the thing that leaped over them was a golden flash of thunder, crackling through the sky. Unlike the other animal, this creature demanded attention, it _deserved_ attention. 

A Zinogre stood proud before them, teeth glaring, fur and scales humming with energy. Its claws shredded the ground it dug in, releasing another thunderous roar, stunning the hunters in their tracks with its power. Fulgurbugs, like before, swirled around its coat like storm clouds, glowing, glowing brighter. 

Lloyd took a quick glance at Colette. They nodded. It had to be stopped before it electrified the entire highlands. Besides, it looked angry, and it more than likely wasn’t about to let Lloyd and Colette go. 

Just as they began to pounce, something else beat them to it. 

A bloody beast, as red as meat and ripped flesh, screeched in, its fangs digging into the Zinogre’s electrified scales without a care to its own wellbeing. The Zinogre yelped in pain, whipping a claw at its attacker, knocking the monster to the sandy floor. 

The Zinogre was proud, the Zinogre was honorable. It stood tall over the lesser being before it. But the “lesser being” didn’t see itself as that, in fact, it probably didn’t see itself as much of anything at all. Its fangs were drenched in blood and drool, and it _would_ eat. It didn’t care what, it didn’t care who.

The Odogaron scrambled on the floor, claws kicking and scratching as it brought itself back up despite the paralyzing shocks of Zinogre’s Fulgurbugs. The Zinogre wasn’t prepared, thought itself too powerful, thought it had taught the Odogaron its place. In a bloodthirsty blur, it was upon the Zinogre again, this time at its back, sharp claws ripping and tearing through its shocking fur. 

The two monsters screeched and howled, turning into a mess of blood and light, one scrambling to get the other off, while one desperately held on even through the intense pain. With a furious growl, the Zinogre slammed the Odogaron into a sharp bed of coral, scarring and bleeding the Odogaron into another bloody pulp.

Yet it still stood, still got back up. It did not jump into the fight just yet, however. The Odogaron’s hungry eyes looked to the smaller bush before the Zinogre, to where Lloyd and Colette were sure they saw that green blur run into. Spit dripped from its fangs and soaked the sand. The two monsters circled each other, one tired and hungry, the other proud and enraged. 

The Zinogre was smart. Maybe it did not have the raw power of an Odogaron, but it was resourceful. The Fulgurbugs were proof of that. It eyed the bush with calculating eyes, defensive, angry. What was in there that was worth protecting?

The Odogaron couldn’t contain itself anymore. It let out its warped cry, a warbled mess of yelps and barks, and leapt forward toward the bush. The Zinogre calculated for this moment, spinning around to smack the bloodthirsty hound with its spiky electrified tail. While this was effective, the Odogaron proved to be ever boorish and dishonorable, clamping its fangs once again down into the Zinogre’s tail despite the agony it surely must have felt.

The Odogaron fell once again, but this time with a clump of fur, blood, and bugs in its mouth. It ravenously devoured what little it obtained. The Zinogre growled in a rage, looking back once again to that bush it protected. Its eyes furrowed, and its fangs clenched. Whatever was there, the Zinogre deemed it unimportant. Useless. 

With one final roar, as if to say, _‘I will not waste my time on the likes of you,’_ the Zinogre leapt through the air again and dashed away like a lightning bolt through the sky. It either never noticed Lloyd or Colette, or figured they weren’t even a threat.

The Odogaron’s dark eyes grinned. It skulked toward the bush, licking its lips as a rotten fog left its mouth. Something whined. It readied its twisted maw and-

** “Bad!! Doggy!!” ** Colette screamed, flying out from the wind, her Kinsect’s rainbow wings beating at her back. Her strike landed true, the wooden end of her glaive bashing the Odogaron’s nose. It yelped and jumped back. In its ravenous hunger, it must not have noticed the hunters.

The Odogaron raged at Colette’s implications. It was a perfectly good monster, and it did what it did better than most! It came at her, frothing with anger, deciding she would be as good a meal as any.

As graceful as the Coralbirds, Colette leapt through the salty air again, her Lagombi ears waving in the winds. Colette’s Kinsect slapped the Odogaron across the face, and she once again yelled, “No! Bad!” 

_ ‘I AM NOT BAD!’ _ the Odogaron surely roared, claws digging into the sandy earth. Before it could attack, Lloyd was upon it, his dual blades slicing into the Odogaron’s incredibly thick skin. He moved like a blur, his blades spinning himself like a raging tempest as he cut along the monster’s spine.

It left a few cuts and bleeding wounds, but nothing that would kill it. Lloyd leapt off its face and landed next to Colette, blocking the bush.

_ ‘HUNGRY!’  _ It must have screamed, bleeding and hurt. 

Colette quickly dived into the knapsack around her shoulders, the Kinsect’s dazzling light keeping the ravenous beast at bay for precious seconds. Soon, she pulled out what clearly should not have been able to fit in her knapsack at all and held it above her head proudly. 

It was a well-done steak, still steaming. It held delicious bronzed skin with a clean white bone at its center, cooked to perfection. The Odogaron’s eyes finally opened, its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Colette waved the steak left. The Odogaron’s head went left. Colette waved the steak right. The Odogaron’s head went right.

_ ‘GIVE ME. FOOD!’ _

Colette nodded. “Go…” She wound her arms up, looking over the coral hills. “GET IT!” She tossed the meat over the Odogaron’s head. It jumped up into the air, fangs and tongue just licking at its tasty aura. Yet for some reason, it didn’t make contact. _Why?!_

Colette’s Kinsect flew off far into the hills, steak in its appendages. The Odogaron followed without hesitation like a hungry puppy that was about to get some peanut butter wrapped in ham.

And just like that, it was gone. Hopefully far gone, and hopefully sated. If hunger made it leave its usual territory, then perhaps this would solve the issue. At least for now. Colette’s Kinsect returned to her, its buzzing slowing. It was tired. 

“Good job, Bugga-Boo. I’ll give you lots of nectars and jellies when we get home,” she said, letting it rest on her arm. “Now to find out what those doggies wanted so badly…” 

“Careful, Colette,” Lloyd said, his weapons drawn. 

The coral bush shuffled. Whatever was inside was quite alive. It whined. As Colette’s hands moved in deeper, it whined more and more.

Colette finally found a tightly packed ball of green and white fur. “Ah! A baby!” Colette yelped, as the creature inside yelped pathetically under her gaze. “A baby Zinogre!” 

“What! No way!” Lloyd shouted, pushing his cheeks against Colette’s to get a better view. “But it’s got no yellow on it! And it’s scared of us? What kind of Zinogre is afraid of anything?” 

The little pup yelped, practically crying as it tucked its tail between its legs. Well, Lloyd and Colette described it as ‘little’ but in all actuality, it was about twice the size of them. It was little compared to an actual Zinogre.

“Aw, don’t be scared little puppy…” Colette cooed, pulling the nearly horse sized Zinogre into her chest. It flinched and whined at her touch but did not lash out. “Your name is Noishe isn’t it? Noishe!”

Noishe whined at his new name, at the touch, but it sounded somewhat happier? It looked like it wouldn’t hurt a fly. In fact, he was scared of the Fulgurbugs that were trying to make their home at his furry back.

“Do you think the Odogaron wanted to eat Noishe?” Lloyd asked, putting his weapons away and petting the strange Zinogre between his big floppy ears. What a strange monster…

“I think so…” Colette said sadly. “It wasn’t the Odogaron’s fault, it was just hungry. I’m angrier at that momma Zinogre that left Noishe all alone…” She furrowed her eyebrows, hugging Noishe even tighter. Sure, there were some spikes here and there, and the scales were rough, but Noishe didn’t seem to have all the weaponized parts that other Zinogres did. 

Noishe howled sadly at the mention of his mother.

“I don’t think she liked Noishe very much,” Lloyd said. “Probably thought he was the runt of the litter.”

Noishe whined. 

“That’s not what I think!” Lloyd argued, petting Noishe hard enough that lightning bolts shot off his fur. 

Noishe whined again, but less sadly this time. 

“Oh, he’s such a cute little doggy…” Colette pressed her face into Noishe’s chest, her hair sticking up in the air due to the static. “He needs protecting! Should we take him back to Astera?”

Lloyd shook his head. “I think we can trust Genis, but I don’t think we can trust Raine. Noishe is a mutation we’ve never seen before! She’ll study him and scare him and maybe worse…” 

Noishe whined.

“Maybe we can make a home for him in the forest near Astera?” Colette offered. Her eyes lit up like the gleam of a Fulgurbug. “Oh! Maybe we can keep him at Dirk’s home!” 

Lloyd nearly exploded with enthusiasm. “That’s a great idea Colette! Dirk lives just far away from the town that barely anyone bothers him! And the monsters know better than to mess with him too!”

Dirk was Lloyd’s adoptive father. A strange Troverian even for Troverian standards. A smithy by nature, welcomed by all hunters, guild members, Wyverians, and Palicoes alike, yet for one reason or another, quite distant. 

Noishe whined at the idea of this ‘Dirk,’ but his big tail slapped against the sandy dirt anyway.

“So, do you think we can count this quest as complete?” Lloyd asked. 

Colette put a finger to her chin, shocking herself on accident. “Hmm, ow! Ummm… I don’t think so. Odogaron’s are scary doggies, but I don’t think they could drive out a Zinogre… I think something forced these monsters to leave their usual territory which caused this conflict in the first place.” 

“Huh. Do you think Noishe has anything to do with it?” Lloyd asked. “He does seem rather rare.” 

Noishe whined in response, thinking he had everything to do with it. 

“Mm, I’m not sure.” Colette stood up, motioning for Noishe to as well. “I think it might have just been a coincidence. The Odogaron saw an easy treat-” Noishe whined. “Sorry! I can tell you’re a lover, not a fighter. Anyway, the Odogaron was just hungry and confused, and Noishe’s bright colors probably caught its eye and well… here we are.” 

“What should we be looking for?” Lloyd asked, gazing into the distance of the Coral Highlands. The colorful coral cliffs stretched out as far as the eye could see, the watery warbling cries of creatures far and wide reaching their ears. There was so much to look for, so much to hear…

“Hard to say…” Colette mumbled, looking through her quest book. “There’s been reports of items going missing across the lands. Not just the Coral Highlands, but it seems especially concentrated here.”

Lloyd poked at his forehead, thinking. “Kulu-Ya-Ku maybe?”

Colette shook her head, walking through the silent sands of the Highlands. Noishe followed in step behind them, sticking as close as he could.

“I don’t think so. They do love to steal things, but they’re usually quite obvious and easy to find. There have been traces of feathers though…”

A slimy Shamos screeched at them from a distance, causing Noishe to recoil, despite the fact that a Zinogre could easily handle one of those tiny lizards. 

Lloyd blinked, pointing his finger guns to the heavens. “Kulu-Ya-Ku have feathers!” 

Colette smiled. “They do!” She rummaged through her pack again before pulling out an enormous feather of her own. “But I don’t think they look like this.” 

“Whoa, what! When did you find that?!” Lloyd marveled at the beautiful thing.

It was massive! About the size of Colette’s torso! (Seriously, don’t ask how it fit in their bags.) Such a striking dark purple too! Yet, somehow… it was also hard to see? It absorbed sunlight like a blackhole and reflected it back to the world, just barely glimmering.

“While I was picking out some herbs and blue mushrooms! I barely noticed it. I wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with our quest, so I didn’t bring it up.”

“Geez. This thing’s barely visible.” Lloyd shooed the Shamoses away that were trying to pick a fight with Noishe. “No wonder people are having trouble figuring out what this thing is.” 

“I’m still not sure if its anything but a pretty feather…” Colette admitted. 

“Hmm… Maybe Noishe could sniff out the trail for us?”

Colette tilted her head. “Couldn’t we just use the Scoutflies?”

Lloyd quickly pat Noishe on the head. “Yeah, but I think Noishe wants to prove he can be useful!”

Noishe whined. 

“I’m not sure that’s what he’s saying…” 

“C’mon, boy!” Lloyd patted his knees excitedly, stomping his feet into the ground. Noishe’s big scaly ears perked up. No dog could resist that. Not even a massive electric monster that wasn’t a dog at all! “You wanna sniff out who that feather belongs to? Hm? Hm? You wanna find out who’s ruining the echo-system?”

“Ecosystem,” Colette corrected with a giggle. 

Noishe’s huge tail slapped against the ground again. He whined but let out a happy yelp before sniffing the feather. In a flash of green lighting, he bolted ahead, briefly looking back to make sure his new friends weren’t going to abandon him like his mom did. 

“Good boy!” Lloyd and Colette called out, running after him.

* * *

The trek proved to be longer than Lloyd and Colette hoped. There was a lot of climbing, and a lot of running back and forth. Like Scoutflies, Noishe got scared at the tiniest of threats. The wind could blow a little too hard, and he’d be running for cover in one of the coral’s many hidey holes.

Still, with their eyes peeled for it, Lloyd and Colette were able to notice more and more of these nearly invisible feathers. Most were that same color of void, translucent purple, but some shone bright red, almost begging to be seen.

As they climbed the coral mountains and trekked through the dripping caves and past the pouring waterfalls, the three couldn’t shake the feeling that someone or something may have been watching them. What could it have been? When they would stop their walks to take a break, sometimes they’d hear one more step after theirs. The two investigated but found nothing more than some shiny purple scales. More than likely a mischievous Shamos looking to pick on Noishe again…

“It’s… it’s a good thing we’re not on a time limit for these…” Lloyd panted, climbing up a giant blue coral branch. They stood tall on a mountainside, overlooking the immense Coral Highlands in all its colorful glory. It glimmered like ocean water beneath the sun’s setting rays. 

Colette merely jumped onto the branch gracefully, practically flying with her Insect Glaive. “Mmhmm! Tracking a monster is hard work! It can take even the best hunters days to find their target!”

Lloyd slumped onto the branch, gasping for air. Noishe licked his face, sending spark bolts out, and throwing Lloyd’s hair into a static-filled mess. “And we don’t even know what our target is!”

A soft thrumming filled the air up here. Gentle… quiet… almost like a sleeping breath. It was so relaxing. The winds in the Coral Highlands were a wonder all on their own.

Colette looked over the big blue branch they stood on. There was nowhere else to go! She turned to Noishe who was still busy shocking Lloyd with his kisses, tail patting against the branch, shaking it slightly. The vibrations stirred the relaxed air’s sleepy breath…

“Noishe? Did you get lost? I think this is a dead end.” Colette looked out over the branch. There was nothing to jump to, nothing even a Zinogre could reach. 

Noishe whined but let out a tiny yelp. He seemed to be sure, but also looked slightly confused.

“Maybe he just wanted us to take a break,” Lloyd groaned, laying out on the branch. Noishe whined happily.

“I guess you’re right. I am a little tired, too,” Colette admitted. “Let me just try to get a good view of where we are and-ah!” Her boots tripped over air, and she lost her balance, waving her arms like mad. The Kinsect buzzed in annoyance around her, the movement aggravating it. 

Lloyd leaped up to his feet, running towards her. “Colette!” he shouted, watching her fall. 

But… wait. That’s strange. It was like she fell in slow motion! Except… it wasn’t in slow motion? It was paused? Colette looked like she was stuck in mid-fall, her body pointed diagonally, her feet stuck over something. 

“C-Colette?” Lloyd asked out loud, to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Colette turned to him, just as mystified. “Lloyd?... It’s… fluffy?”

Lloyd froze in his tracks. “Fluffy?...”

“I feel… fluff… like… feathers?” Colette managed to mumble out. What was going on!? 

Then, as if to answer their question…

The winds’ sleeping snores stirred, feathers ruffled, branches creaked, and claws tightened. Then, much like a dream, or maybe a nightmare, the monster became visible. Red eyes opened, glaring down at Colette. 

_ ‘Who dares disturb me? Who is the fool that thinks themselves brave? WHOOO?!’  _ it must have said.

Colette scrambled out of the Malfestio’s fluffy chest, jumping over to Lloyd’s side. Both pulled out their weapons in defense. Noishe was nowhere to be seen. 

“A Malfestio?!” Colette gulped as the creature stepped forward, eyes scanning to the very depths of their souls. 

“Here?!”

_ ‘Questions, questions! Who are you to awaken me from my slumber and ask ME questions!? Who!?” _ The Malfestio’s rage burned as bright as the moon in a black night. 

“This isn’t even a normal Malfestio!” Colette quickly noted, pointing at its dark feathers. 

“No way, that can’t be a Nightcloak!?” 

The Malfestio raised its wings, blanketing the sky in darkness. Furious, it surely screeched, _‘WHO ARE YOU?!’_

Lloyd and Colette felt the world turn into a confusing mess of lights and sounds. The roar alone pierced their ears, and some kind of golden dust left their limbs feeling limp. It was as if the wires in their brains got crisscrossed. Left foot was right, right arm was left and… 

They fell down the coral, the rough branches scraping and stabbing all along the way. They grabbed for anything to slow their descent, but their bodies would not obey. Where one hand thought it clutched at a cliff, it instead clutched at the air. 

With a wet splash, the two landed in the lake below. The cold water must have washed away that confusing gold dander, and their bodies immediately worked the way they remembered. They pulled themselves up to the banks, coughing and sputtering. They were hurt slightly, but everyone knows a hunter can take a fall from just about anywhere. 

Like a flashy evil wizard, the Malfestio warped into existence before them, wings open, claws sharp. Lloyd dodged to the side, its razor-sharp wing just barely missing him. Colette flew off in the opposite direction, her Kinsect biting and pulling the necessary essence it needed to power it and its owner up. 

The giant owl monster known as Malfestio hooted and hollered, charging after Lloyd, who looked like the easier target. While, yes, Colette could jump through the air with the speed and agility of an angel, that didn’t mean Lloyd was a slouch. 

He dipped under the Malfestio’s clutching claws, his blades slicing into the thick plating of its talons. It screeched again, flapping its wings, producing another cloud of confusing gold dust. Before it knew what hit it, Colette was at its back, striking its head over and over with her glaive. She held on tight, mounting it with all her might, despite its aggravated plight.

_ ‘Who!? Who!? WHOOO?!’  _ It had to have cried, trying to shake Colette off its back. Like she was hugging a cute puppy, she would not let it go. 

Lloyd took this opportunity to strike its torso, clipping its wings with his scorching blade, and freezing the tips with the frost of his other. It screeched, not in pain, but in sheer justified rage. 

‘ _Who attacks me?! Who fights me!? For what reason must I fight off these attackers in my slumber?!’_

It leapt into the air, soaring to the twilight of the sun, but Colette did not budge from its back. _‘Who will not give up?! Who is it that will regret committing such an injustice to me?!’_ It twirled through the air, spinning like a corkscrew towards a coral cliffside. Colette yelped, leaping off its back just before it crashed into the rocks.

The Malfestio fell down with a feathery thud, kicking and screeching in a rage, its wings flapping uselessly. Lloyd and Colette took this moment to strike as hard as they could, cutting into its tough feathers, slicing its beak.

Finally, it came back to its senses, hopping back to its feet. Lloyd and Colette jumped for cover. Two feather crowns raised upon its head, similar to a pair of devil horns, signifying its enraged state. With another piercing scream, it vanished into the air, turning into nothing but twinkling wind.

“We can’t run away from this thing, Colette!” Lloyd yelled, narrowly avoiding what appeared to be nothing more than a trick of the light. 

Or was it near Colette? She found herself leaping through the skies, huffing as the same invisible force seemed to cut the air around her. “I-I don’t want to kill it!” 

“It certainly wants to kill us!” 

“It’s just cranky because we woke it up!”

“Then let’s just hurry up and trap it!” 

“Okay!” 

Lloyd called the creatures attention, taunting it with his bright blades and brighter clothes. He threw insults, and he threw them _loudly,_ and that seemed to be all it took to anger the sleepy bird monster. 

Meanwhile, Colette scrambled through her pack again, reaching for a Shock Trap. Like she had done so many times before, she slammed the trap into the ground, turning a few mechanisms here and there, slipping the safety off, and finally hitting the button to electrify it all and…

_ Bzzt! _

“Huh?!” Colette stuttered. It wasn’t turning on! Why wasn’t the Shock Trap working?! No, no, did she mess up?

Something whined in a bush nearby, barely heard over the screaming hoots and clashing of metal against plated claw.

“Noishe! Are you there?!” Colette cried out. “C’mon, boy! We need your help!”

The bush howled forlornly.

“No, you don’t need to fight!” Colette argued. “Just come quick, please! Call the Fulgurbugs to your back right here! That’s all you need to do! C’mon, boy!” 

Noishe, certainly against his better judgement, decided to leave the safety of his bush. Tail between his legs, he practically crawled over to Colette on his stomach, laying on the trap’s defunct mechanism. 

“Good boy! Good boy!” Colette said hurriedly. “Now, quick, howl! Make some noise!” 

Noishe whined. 

“Um! Okay! Whine! Whine real good, boy! You’re good at whining!” Colette cheered, rubbing the static-filled fur at Noishe’s back.

Noishe obeyed with a whine. He whined about how he didn’t want to be here, he whined about how he hated his mom, he whined about how he hated how mean every monster was, he whined about how he was hungry, and he whined loudly. He was a whining storm! Bright Fulgurbugs began to swirl around him, electricity bounding through his fur, scales, and claws. 

For a brief moment, the Malfestio materialized into their vision. It turned its head 180 degrees, setting its sights on Colette and the noisy Noishe, and then twisted its body to match. Spreading out its wings like a jet airplane ready to take off, it charged towards them.

Colette’s hair stood on end, mostly because of the electricity. “Hurry, boy! Yell! Roar! Awoo! C’mon Noishe!” However, the little Zinogre merely kept its low buzz of whines up. Colette frowned before jumping into Noishe’s face and yelling, **“Boo!”**

Noishe let out the fiercest yelp of fear that any creature in all of Coral Highlands ever heard. Like a bolt of thunder, the Fulgurbugs lit up and exploded with power, triggering the shock trap and powering it more than normal! The Malfestio stepped into it, none-the-wiser, and quickly found itself paralyzed in Noishe’s never ending whining.

Lloyd tossed his tranquilizers straight at the Malfestio’s beak, calming pink smoke forcing its way into its lungs. It inhaled sharply, unable to control itself. After a few more tranquilizers, its eyes fell heavy and it fell to the sandy ground, wings covering itself like a blanket. 

Noishe scampered away into a bush, the shock trap’s power fading away with him. Luckily the Nightcloak Malfestio was already fast asleep and would probably stay that way for quite some time.

Lloyd sat down next to Colette with an exhausted sigh. He gulped down a potion and resisted the urge to flex. The two looked over the sleeping beast, its feathery chest rising and falling slowly. When it was asleep, it was no more than a big owl. Cute. Were it not for the scars (they’d heal!) of battle, no one could tell such a fluffy beast held such power.

“Man, who would have thought a Malfestio would be here,” Lloyd said. His hand rubbed over his mom’s decoration absent-mindedly. It seemed to relax him after a hunt. The coral caves nearby let out a dripping sigh.

“A Nightcloak, too!” Colette huffed, plopping down next to Lloyd and scooching into his side. “I guess it makes sense why no one’s ever seen this one in the New World yet…” 

Lloyd let out a low laugh, holding Colette’s hand gently in his. “Genis and Raine are going to lose their minds when they see this!”

Colette frowned. “Hmm…”

“Huh? What is it?” 

“Umm… I don’t know…”

“You don’t think they’d be impressed?” 

“No… I just…” Colette’s thumb roved over Lloyd’s bright blue decoration on his hand as well. The wind stirred hungrily. “I think maybe we shouldn’t tell anyone we found Hoot-Hoot.” 

Lloyd nearly coughed up his potion. “What? Why not?” He paused. “And you’re naming him already?!”

“Her.” Colette couldn’t actually tell the difference. 

“Her,” Lloyd quickly corrected. “Isn’t Hoot-Hoot the one who caused all this mess?”

Colette looked over the enormous slumbering owl, cooing and hooting so peacefully in its magical dreams. “I don’t actually know if she did it.”

“But it makes sense!” Lloyd argued. “An ultra-powerful monster, strong enough to upset the echo-system…a monster that no one knew existed or could find… the perfect thief!”

Colette didn’t break. “I don’t think she was bothering anyone though. She seemed upset we picked a fight with her. Hoot-Hoot was just sleeping! All we did was find some feathers and… did you see her try to take anything? Did you see any stolen objects?”

Noishe finally appeared again with a whine. He sat his pointy snout on Lloyd’s lap and yawned. His emerald green scales glowed so brightly under the sunset’s fire. He looked like a treasure all of his own. The air shimmered around them. 

“I guess not…” Lloyd admitted, stroking Noishe’s fuzzy white fur, flicking out any stray Fulgurbugs. “But then, what else could it be?” 

Colette put a finger to her chin. “I have an idea, but I don’t think it could be right…” 

Lloyd let out a bone-cracking yawn, stretching his arm up high in the air. His decoration set out flares of light like a lighthouse. “Ah, I’m sure you’re right, Colette, whatever you think it is. Maybe we can figure it out tomorrow or-”

A silent shot ran out through the ocean breeze. Something sticky latched onto Lloyd’s mom’s decoration. He could only think to stare at it before it was too late. The gem was ripped out of its socket, throwing Lloyd to the floor.

“What?!” Colette stood, Insect Glaive at the ready. There was nothing there but the sleeping Malfestio that she could see. Where did the decoration go?! 

Before Lloyd even had the chance to get up, it was upon them. It leaped from the shadows, an enormous beast, scooping up Noishe in its scaly maw. Noishe let out a whining yelp, but whatever the creature was, it did not care about the Fulgurbugs constant shocks of electricity. 

Purple scales darted across purple coral, and it was only then that Colette noticed the subtle mist that had been building around them. The creature left no trace other than Noishe’s frantic cries.

“Noishe!” Colette pulled a confused and tired Lloyd to his feet.

“My-my mom’s decoration!” Lloyd stuttered, the sadness and anger in his voice apparent. Colette squeezed his hand, pulling him after the creature. 

“Follow the Fulgurbugs!” Colette shouted, pointing at the tiny blots of light fluttering in the misty breeze. 

The mist grew thick, so incredibly thick, and so fast. The hunters had to practically fumble through the highlands blind, pushing through the fog like it was a tangled web of vines. However, Noishe’s whines gave away everything, and his Fulgurbugs left a trail like stardust to his location.

At some point, they must have gone into a cave. It was almost impossible to tell. The fog was so thick! Some Shamos’ growled in confusion, their noises echoing off the walls. Water dripped down from somewhere, and the hunters fell into a cave river in their haste. But it looked like their sneaky attacker did too. Purple ooze leaked into the water, poisoning it and some of the Sushifish inside as well.

Noishe’s whines were growing louder, his yelping clearly heard by all against the watery walls of this cave. Colette tripped over a few pieces of shiny research gear, but Lloyd caught her, quickly returning them to their stride. More and more trinkets littered the floors and walls, from shiny weapons, bags of Zenny, to some particularly fine-looking steaks. 

Finally, they reached the end of it, a pile of expensive looking goods tossed against the watery coral rocks. Noishe struggled in the weird grip of the monster, but it didn’t appear to want to damage his fine scales. Poison ooze drooled from its fangs, seeping into Noishe’s fur, dying him a sickly purple. 

_ ‘Found me, huh?’  _ the creature seemed to say, tossing a weak Noishe into its pile of treasure. It appeared through the fog like a ghost, one eye turning to look at Lloyd, the other turning to look at Colette. _‘You had best leave.’_ It flapped its enormous scaly wings, flicked its long tongue, and smashed its huge fan-like tail into the sand. It was threatening them. ‘ _These are MINE.’_

“No way…” Lloyd gulped. “A Chameleos?”

“I don’t know if we can take an Elder Dragon…” Colette said with a shaky voice. Even her Kinsect buzzed nervously. 

“It stole mom’s decoration!” Lloyd shouted, but the fury didn’t last. They had only heard tall tales about Chameleoses. The sneakiest of all monsters, a purple blur that left a trail of silent poison and death wherever it went. They say a Chameleos could destroy an entire village with its breath alone, and no one would even hear about it until the next day.

‘ _Your decoration, huh?’_ the Chameleos probably growled. ‘ _It belongs to ME. This world is MINE. I will take what I want, because I own it. You wish to steal from ME? How dare you.’_

“And it has Noishe…” Colette whimpered, watching as Noishe cowered under a box of Max Potions. The poison was certainly weakening him, but he was a Zinogre. He would live so long as he escaped.

_ ‘A pitiful creature.’  _ One of the Chameleos’ eyes gazed at Noishe, ordering him to stay still. ‘ _Pitiful, but beautiful. Strange. Different. It is mine. I will keep it. I hunted it through the Ancient Forest, across the lands… I deserve it. You would not dare to steal my trophy.’_

“We can’t capture it either,” Lloyd said in hushed tones. The Chameleos began its strange movements, nearly stepping forward, reversing itself, and nearly stepping forward again. It’s cone-like eyes stared at them like searchlights, yet the rest of its body remained perfectly still. It was so creepy.

“I won’t leave Noishe, and I won’t leave your mom’s memento.” Colette stood bravely before it, Lloyd close to her side, their weapons drawn. 

Before they understood what was going on, the Elder Dragon attacked, scrambling its entire body forward in a rush, legs pounding, wings flapping, tongue waving. Lloyd and Colette only barely managed to avoid the brunt of its attack, its intense flailing knocking them apart. 

It vanished into the mist. The sound of a tongue flicking echoed across the misty cave walls. 

_ ‘Then I will rob you of your lives as well.’ _

Lloyd’s eyes darted left and right and up and down. He swung his blades where he was sure it had to be. He was sure of it! How could a creature so enormous move so quickly? It was right there! Yet, his blades merely sliced the fog.

A sharp pain screamed into his back as the Chameleos charged from behind, throwing Lloyd farther into the mist, further into darkness. 

“Agh, it stole my lunch money!!”

The Chameleos chomped into his bag of Zenny with a grin. _‘My lunch.’_

It stood as still as a statue, eyes roving over the mist. Colette struck at its fanlike tail, Kinsect nibbling along with her. The Chameleos casually flicked his tail, blowing her away with a force she had never thought possible with such a small movement. 

Still, this gave time for Lloyd to compose himself. At his back he felt the tinkling jingle of potion bottles. He gulped one down in a flash, his strength returning. 

_ ‘That is MINE!’ _

It flailed towards Lloyd again in a rage, but this time he was ready. Its tongue shot out, just as before, and Lloyd ducked underneath it, his blades feeling sharper after executing such a well-timed action. Blades brimming with demonic energy, he unleashed a rain of blows, his swords dancing against its misty scales, sending sparks of light out into the dark.

The Chameleos didn’t flinch. It’s body instead twisted and turned with such a sudden burst of speed that Lloyd couldn’t possibly predict the claw swipe into his side. He cried out, but fell towards the rest of the stolen potions, knowing he wouldn’t be knocked out so easily any time soon. It wasn’t often he had access to this many items.

_ ‘DO NOT TOUCH MY TREASURES!’ _

Colette appeared at its back; hands tied tight to its spikes as she attempted to mount it. Her Kinsect buzzed annoyingly at its face as she stabbed into its spine, hoping to penetrate something. The Chameleos flicked its tongue, stealing the Kinsect out of the air, crunching it in one swift bite, and throwing it to the side.

Maybe sending a bug against a chameleon wasn’t the best idea…

It kicked and spun, trying to throw Colette off it’s back. Its movements were too erratic, too unpredictable. The spikes were covered in a slick mist. She desperately tried to strike it, but her grip was failing. The Chameleos went still. Colette thought this moment to attack, but, once again, it proved too foreign, too intelligent. Its body flailed, writhing and screeching, throwing Colette off its back.

Elder Dragons lived for centuries. Maybe even longer. These were creatures that shaped the very world. It wasn’t a cranky owl; it wasn’t a hungry dog. Its eyes shone with cunning and intelligence. It knew more than Lloyd and Colette could ever hope to know. 

“Colette! Catch!” Lloyd shouted, tossing multiple potions over the beast. 

_ ‘No! My treasures!’  _ it must have yelled, swinging its tongue about in a frenzy, catching as many of the potions as it could. But it couldn’t catch them all.

Colette quickly chugged down as many as she could, _also_ trying to remember not to flex. It just wasn’t in style, she guessed?

‘ _Stop! Thieves!’_ There was two of them and only one Chameleos. Even if his eyes could track both, his limbs could not. In a desperate attempt to keep its ill-gotten gains, the Chameleos writhed once more, but this time letting loose his poison breathe onto anything that came near. It barely seemed in control of itself, knocking over statues, poisoning a Shamos or two, and worst of all, managing to cover Lloyd in its toxic mist.

He sputtered and coughed, feeling the painful effects of the poison already. “C-Colette... poison…need… antidote…” he gurgled; his knees weak.

Colette was long gone, far from the Chameleos’ reach. “Huh? I’m not poisoned, Lloyd.”

Lloyd looked like he was ready to cry in frustration. The Chameleos was busy fixing its treasures and spraying more mist into the air. “Me… poisoned… I’m…”

“Oh!!” Colette knocked her forehead, embarrassed. “I’m sorry!” She reached for containers filled with blue sloshing at her back, throwing them to Lloyd. Again, the Chameleos tried to keep its treasures, but couldn’t catch all of them. 

Lloyd downed the drink in a second, giving her a thumbs up. Good thing antidotes were just funny tasting drinks that got rid of poison the second they went down your throat! Convenient. 

The fight proved longer than they had hoped. The Chameleos was a limitless fountain of energy and poison. Its sneaky and puppet-like attacks wore them down. Even with access to more potions and antidotes than they could dream, they were only human. The Chameleos was not. It was more than human, more than beast. 

Mist seeped into Lloyd’s throat, suffocating him. The Chameleos was somewhere. Colette was somewhere. Lloyd wasn’t sure. They needed to do something, but what? It was too strong, too smart for them. Something clanked and fell in the fog. Lloyd faced it head on, sweat burning in his eyes. 

Pain exploded into his back as the Chameleos rammed him, stomping over his body with its scaly claws. It stood over Lloyd, chomping down on one of his well-done steaks, purple flecks of drool dripping down its maw. It was so pleased with itself.

But it turns out, the fog could be used by more than just Elder Dragons. A shadow appeared behind, with a larger, darker shadow above. 

“Bad… **DOGGY!** ” Colette screamed, slamming an enormous red hammer down onto the Chameleos’ head with a _POW!_ Something shattered into pieces, the horn atop its nose, broken and gone. The Chameleos reeled, falling to the floor, stars spinning around its stunned skull. Lloyd’s stolen decoration dripped out of its mouth, covered in greedy drool.

“Where did you get that hammer?!” Lloyd asked, jaw on the floor. “Also, I think this one might not actually be a dog…”

Colette tossed the (now used up) Ghillie Mantle to the floor, huffing and puffing from the exertion of hefting the massive weapon. “It was mixed in with the treasure! I figured, why not? And, um, I know it’s probably not a doggy, it just was easier to say that.” She stuck her tongue out and scratched her chin.

_ ‘How?! Where?! My horn?! Stolen!?’  _ the stunned Chameleos probably groaned.

Lloyd decided that was enough questions for now. With a grunt, he dashed to the Chameleos’ writhing form and focused on its tail. Demonic energy flowing through him, he once again flipped and turned into a tempest of blades, sawing the curly end of the Chameleo’s tail clean off. 

This shook it out of its stunned state. The Chameleos, offended, humiliated, scrambled up to its feet and focused one eye upon its deformed tail. 

_ ‘My tail! Thieves! Evil thieves! How dare you! How dare you! There is no justice in this world!’  _

It attempted to slink into the fog again, to mask its brilliant purple scales into the gray mist of the cave walls. But it was injured. It was flustered. Its outline could still be clearly seen as it flew through the darkness, attempting to blindside Colette yet again. 

“No!” Colette shouted, whumping its head with her powerful hammer yet again. “Bad!” 

‘ _How!? You can’t see me! Impossible! Cheaters!’_ It must have gurgled, flouncing backwards. Yet no matter where it moved, Lloyd and Colette followed, growing bolder and bolder with each attack.

It’s flailing finally worked against it. It tripped over its own legs, the tail at its backside no longer properly balancing it as it used to. The Chameleos’ wings were ripped and torn, not giving it the speed it demanded. It stood opposite of Lloyd and Colette, its enormous tongue lolling out of its mouth and to the dirty floor.

‘ _Terrible! Awful thieves! Dishonorable! You don’t deserve anything, but you will not steal my life! I won’t give you the pleasure! I hope to never see such rude creatures ever again!’_

And with that, it skittered away into the light fog. Lloyd and Colette chased after, able to follow its trail with ease. When they reached the cave’s exit, they witnessed the Chameleos gliding out over the Coral Highlands, towards the shimmering mirage of the Sun, hoping to get far far away. 

“We repelled it!” Colette cheered.

“And don’t come back!” Lloyd shouted, mimicking Genis.

“I think … it can come back,” Colette admitted sadly.

“Well, if it does, we’ll smack it around if it decides to be mean!” Lloyd promised. 

Colette’s eyes brightened. She nodded. “Yeah! You’re right! We will!” She grabbed Lloyd’s arm, pulling him back into the cave. “Come on! We have to help Noishe and then turn in our quest!” 

“Ohh, that sounds great, I’m so hungry…”

* * *

The Ancient Jungle buzzed with its usual activity, now but a silent whisper of itself under the moonlit sky. The canopies let in a few rays of pallid light, the starry ocean above only appearing as little lakes of starry space between the enormous leaves and treetops. Here, Dirk, the Troverian lived, and occasionally Lloyd, who grew up in these wilds. 

Dirk’s handywork was unmatched. A few small airships scattered into the jungle here and there, and he had shaped them into a home of incomparable comfort. Tiki torches dotted the perimeter, sending warm shadows across the trees. Light might not always reach in the depths of the jungle, but Dirk created his own. 

Lloyd sat at the table outside, Colette at his side. She wrapped a bandage gently around his arm, where the Chameleos had stomped, where a Potion couldn’t simply fix. He winced, but Colette’s touch was so soft, so tender, so sweet compared to her usual brutal fighting style. She put her face close to his, finishing her work with a smile. Lloyd repaid her with a kiss, giggles escaping her lips.

“I’m glad we got it back,” Colette said, her fingers running over Lloyd’s hand, over his mother’s decoration.

“I’m glad it’s not poisoned.” Lloyd said with a grin. “Or smelly! That’s a big plus.” 

“Aye, a Chameleos’ poison is nothin’ to a smith such as me’self,” Dirk shouted, his voice booming even from inside the house. Even at this hour he worked, making weapons and armor for Hunters he deemed worthy. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to your mother’s decoration, lad.” 

Lloyd’s eyes fell to the grave by his old home. The stone was still in perfect condition, even under the harsh elements of the Ancient Jungle. Seemed monsters knew better than to mess with Dirk in his territory.

A spark exploded at the porch of the home. Noishe whined, letting out a yawn, and putting his massive maw onto his claws before falling back asleep. 

“Oh, Dad, thanks for agreeing to watch over Noishe, too!” Lloyd said. 

“Aye,” Dirk replied easily. “Is no trouble at all. He’s a good one that little Zinogre. Keeps the bugs away.” He paused. “Well, everything but the Fulgurbugs at least.”

Another zap. Some poor moth must have flown too close to Noishe’s fur. The Fulgurbugs would be well-fed here it looks like, same with Noishe. It was the first time they’d ever seen him look so content.

Bugga-boo, Colette’s Kinsect, quietly ate at its jelly, far away from Noishe. A few bandages were wrapped around its rainbow-wings, but it’d be fine. Kinsects were extremely tough bugs.

Colette giggled again, scooching her chair as close to Lloyd’s as possible. She laid her head against his shoulder, watching Noishe slumber peacefully. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on Genis’ face when we told him we repelled a Chameleos.”

“Geez!” Lloyd laughed, putting his arm around her, wincing slightly at the strain. “He didn’t believe us at all until we showed him the tail. He told me after that Zelos carted three times against his hunt for the Great Jaggi, so he was expecting bad luck all day.” 

Colette laughed, squeezing Lloyd tight. “Oh, that’s awful! I shouldn’t laugh…” 

“Ah, Zelos is fine…” Lloyd waved it off. “And more importantly, we did a lot of good today.” 

“Mmhmm!” Colette said, a snuggling nod into Lloyd’s chest. “I think I’ve learned we can finish quests our own way.”

“Right! You’re so resourceful, Colette!” Lloyd praised, running a hand through her hair and messing it all up. She simply giggled even more at the touch. “We can help a lot of people and a lot of monsters if we keep this up.”

“The Zenny is nice too…” Colette admitted. “Splurging on dinner was worth it!”

“I’m still so full! Dinner was delicious!” Lloyd practically drooled again at the thought of the giant steak at his plate. 

“We could eat like that every day if we keep doing this!” Colette said. 

Lloyd slowed his hand through her hair. “Are you sure that’s okay?” 

She nodded. “Mmhmm. I want to help people _and_ monsters just like you said. And I want to do it with you, Lloyd. I want to explore the world and I want to help everyone and every little creature.”

“I want that, too,” Lloyd said, his voice low. He squeezed her tight. 

“Then let’s keep going. Let’s keep doing all we can for as long as we can.” 

They snuggled closer into each other’s arms, the low heat of the forest wrapping them in a sleepy blanket. Hushed stars twinkled above, and a cool breeze blew across them. Tired, exhausted, but ready for the next day, they drifted into slumber, dreaming of their next quest, and of their next big doggy to help.


End file.
